Rail bender



y 25, 1932-v H. G. WILLIAMS 1,868,556

RAIL BENDER Filed June 18, 1929 i SJ INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented July 26, 1932 HORACE G. WILLIAMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS RAIL BEND'ER Application filed June 18,

This invention relates to rail benders and, among other objects, aims to provide an improved rail bender of great strength and durability so constructed that it may be adjusted on a rail easily and quickly by a single operator.

This application is an improvement on Patent No. 1,127,124 issued to W. T. Walker.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of one embodiment of the invention shown in position on a rail to be'bent;

Fig.2 is an end view of the same;

" Fig. 3 is a plan view; and 1 Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4'4 of Fig. 1. 7

Referring particularly to the drawing, the preferred embodiment of the invention is :1 there shown as being applied to a rail whose web is disposed horizontally Herein, the

bender is shown as comprising a body 10 provided at a point intermediate its ends with 21 depending offset extension 11 whose inner '1 face 12 is adapted to abut against the upper face of the head 13 of the rail 14. The extension 11 is formed with a hook shaped portion 15 adapted to engage under the lower face of the rail head 13. The extension, as shown, is located nearer to one end of the body than the other, forming a relatively short rear arm 16 and a relatively long front arm 17. The outer lower end of the short arm terminates in an enlarged abut- "T ment 18 whose lower face 19 abuts against one side of the rail head. To guide the body 10 into proper position when being applied to a' rail, the abutment 18 is provided with an outer depending lip 20 whose inner face g 21, which is in alinement with the inner face 19 12, is adapted to engage the'upper face of the head 13. The front arm 17 extends upwardly, away from the rail and terminates in an enlarged end 22 which overhangs the rail head.

A jack 23 of suitable size and construction is interposed between the spaced end 22 and one face of the rail head, so that when the jack is expanded, the rail is bent about the hook 15 as a fulcrum. Heretofore, the jack has been secured to the body of the bender,

1929. Serial No. 371,923.

which makes it necessary to handle both together. Also, the ack would bind when the rail was being bent. As such benders must necessarily be large and strong enough to withstand the tremendous bending strains, 5:; they are very heavy and cumbersome, and as the jacks have been secured to the body, it often requires more than two men to handle them. To overcome this objection, the jack in the present device is separate from the on body and the body has been made as light as possible for the necessary strength by reducing the thickness of the body portion and providing lateral reenforcing flanges 24 along the lower side. Flanges 25 are also provided on the depending fulcrum extension 11 and the hook portion 15, and vertical ribs 26 extend upwardly from the flanges 24 above the hook 15 to the top of the body.

To prevent the jack from binding, while an the rail is being bent, the head of the ack is formed with a convex portion 27 adapted to be seated ina concave recess or seat 28 in the lower face of the enlarged end 22 of the body. Thus, the ack may swing relative to the body .3 and is relieved of strains incident to the changing position of the rail during bending.

After the device has been applied to a rail the jack is operated to bend the rail by means of a suitable handle (not shown) connected to the non-circular shaft extension 29 on the jack. By advancing the bender along the rail after each bending operation, the rail may be continuously curved'on the desired ra dius. To enable the operator to give the rail the same amount of bend at each operation when making a continuous curve, or to bend a number of rails on the same curvature, a graduated scale S is preferably provided on the jack plunger. By noting the graduations exposed above the jack body, the operator may tell at a glance just how much the jack has been expanded and by expanding the jack the same amount'at each successive operation, a continuous arcuate curve may be easily and accurately made.

To move. the body and jack together along the rail, a recess 30 is provided which extends upwardly from the central portion of the recess 28 in the end 22 and the head of the jack is provided with a lug 31 which extends into,but issomewhat smaller than the recess to permit the head to pivot freely in the seat 28 While the rail is being bent. When the jack is contracted and the device is free to slide along the rail, the. jack may be grasped and moved in either direction on the rail. Thelug 3.1 will engage the side of the recess 30 and cause the body to be moved in the same direction. The upstanding lip at theinner end of the'hook 15 (Fig. .2) guides the body as it is moved along the rail. The lip is spaced a suflicient distance from the face 12 to enable the device to be used on the largest size rail head. 7

A handle 32 is preferably provided on the jack to facilitate handling the jack when it is being placed in or taken from its position on the rail. A hand opening 38 is shown being provided in the body 10 to facilitate its handling. IWVhen the body and jack are to be moved for any appreciable distance, they may be easily carried by means of a suitable bar (not shown) passing tlirou'ghthe opening 33 and the handle 32'. By this method, .two men may readilycarry' the whole device.

The base of the ack, which contacts with the rail, is preferably removable from the jack and is shown as being in the form of a plate 34' having spaced ribs 35 on the lower face to-prevcnt the jack frombecoining ac 'cidentally disengaged from the rail head.

The bearing surface 36 of the plate, the surface "19 of the abutment 18, and th'e'upper 5 face of the book 15 are all preferably convex as shown, to provide a line contact at these various points with the rail head at all times.

fhis relieves the jack 28, the abutment 18 and the extension 11 of some of the bending strain and also provides rolling contact so that as the rail is being bent the points of contact are'not appreciably shifted. Moreover, the curved surfaces enable the device to be slid along the rail more easily.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the improved bender may be easily applied to a rail by placing the body and the jack in position separately and when once on the rail maybe adjusted alongthe rail to- A stricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shownfand described. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features 'oflthe invention be used conjointly, since they may be employed advantageously 1n various com-c binations and sub-combinations. What I clalmls y 1. A rail'bendingdevice, comprising, in

combination, abody having an abutment at one end for engaging one side ofa rai-lhead and having itsotheriend spaced from; the rail;

with theopposite side ofthe rail head to provide a bending fulcrum; a jack interposed between the spaced end of the body and the rail and; having a convexhead adapted to fit in the concave seat; and a bearing plate at the other end of the jack to engage the rail head. 2. rail bending device, comprising, in combination, a body; an abutment at one end of said body having a convex surface to. engage one side of'a rail head, an enlarged portion at the other end of thefbody' and spaced from the rail; said'enlarged portion having a concave seattherein facingthe 'railyan intermediate extensionon the body nearer the abutment end ofthe body providing a bending fulcrum"; a hook portion formed on the extension and having a" convex surface toenthe other side of menu hea'd;"a jack interposed between the enlarged'spaced end of the body and the rail and iliaving aconvex head at one end to. fi l iiil thefcon ca've seat; a plate at the other end ofthe jack 'andhaving a convex surface to engage the rail head; said enlargedend of "the body having a recess at the bottom of the seat; and alug on the convex head of thej ack' extending into the recess.

3. Afrail'bending,device comprising, in combination, abody having at one end a concave seat thereinfacingthe railran'abujtment at the other end having a line contact with one side of the rail; a jack having one endengageable with the same sideof the rail and having a head at the other end adapted to lit in the seat in the body and an'inter'mediate hookshaped extension integral with the body providing a bending. fulcrum having'a line contact with the other side of the rail. v

4t. Arail bending device comprising a body provided atone endandat'apoint intermediate of its end with means'toen'gagea rail on opposite sides thereof;the "other end of the bodybein spaced from the; railand having a concave seat therein faoin gthe rail; a jack having, a head atone endea'da 'ated to fit in the seat; and a removable plate on the other endof the jack; said plate having rail guidingribs thereon and having a curved surface to engage the rail. .7 f

.- In testim'ony, that I claim the foregoing as own, I have hereto aiiixed my signature.

, a nonacni W AMs; 

